The Good Mood Diet by Susan M. Kleiner Feel Great While You Lose Weight

Dr. Kleiner, a leading nutrition authority on eating for strength, has put together a diet that has already been tested in Seattle with a Seattle Good Mood Diet weight loss group program. Bob Condor highlighted the progress of the group in the Seattle Post Intelligencer from Nov. 1, 2004 through April 2005. The author has since received thousands of requests for more information.

The idea behind this book is that you can choose healthy foods that both make you feel great and, when eaten according to the plan, help you lose weight. Most diets cause chemical changes in the brain that make the dieter feel depressed. The typical plan is often too low in calories. In this diet, the participants eat feel-good foods with both ideal timing and ideal combinations. People's energy levels soar and participants feel better in days.

The key is to combine the right foods-i.e. balance of protein and fats to go with carbs. The plan outlines a diet of about 40 percent carbs, 30 percent proteins, and 30 percent fats and fiber. Participants eat from a list of "feel good foods," and eliminate excessive added sugar in processed foods. Sweets are not taboo, but the authors believes in "eat it only if you love it" when it comes to sweets. For instance, if you love pumpkin pie, have a slice, but maybe skip the crust unless it's fabulous. A bit of chocolate and a glass of red wine a day is okay once you're two weeks into the diet.

SUSAN KLEINER, Ph.D., R.D., has worked as a nutrition consultant for the Cleveland Browns and the Cleveland Cavaliers. She is a regular columnist for Men's Fitness magazine and the author of The High Performance Cookbook and The High-Performance Vegetarian Cookbook.MAGGIE GREENWOOD-ROBINSON is the coauthor of such top-selling fitness books as Lean Bodies and High-Performance Bodybuilding.